Chocolate Banana Cookies

Dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, grain free but not taste free

My charming children call them pooh drops but they don't leave any.

1 cup mashed ripe banana (3 small)
3 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
1 cup almond flour (almond meal)
6 tablespoons natural cocoa powder

Heat oven to 180 degrees c.
Line a baking tray with cooking paper.
In a bowl combine mashed banana and coconut oil; stir well to mix. Add almond flour and cocoa powder and stir until well combined. The mixture may look dry at first, but the banana releases moisture when stirred and the cocoa powder gets hydrated.
Use a small  scoop or a tablespoon to drop the dough mixture on the baking sheet. You should get about 15 mounds. Bake until the cookies look set and the chocolate aroma is intense. In my oven, this takes about 15 minutes.
Cool completely on the tray as the cookies firm up after cooling.

Amazing Lentil Salad

Serves 6 as a meal

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups  Du Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup dried currants (or other dried fruit)
1/3 cup capers

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Optional extras:

Rocket
Walnuts
Goat cheese
Feta
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil
Sprouts
Crispy seasonal veggies

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils well then drain. Place in a pot and cover with 5cm of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! DO NOT overcooking the lentils. Be careful!
2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Finely dice red onion – the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size.
4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.

Lisa's Mexican Chocolate Biscuits

This is a recipe from Lisa Hurry, the biscuits are fantastic!  I use hot chilli powder rather than cayenne pepper but we like them with plenty of kick.

1 1\2 cups plain flour
3/4 cups good dark cocoa powder (I use Alalanche for these)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less as you like, but don't be frightened)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
185g soft butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup soft brown sugar
1 egg

Oven to 180. line two trays with baking paper.
Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon.
Cream butter, vanilla and sugar. Beat in eggs and then add the dry ingredients and mix well.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a cylinder about 3cm in diameter. Wrap it in baking paper and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from fridge and cut into 5mm think slices. Arrange on the trays and sprinkle the tops with a little raw sugar if you have it. 
Bake for 10 minutes or until they feel firm to touch.

*The key is good dark cocoa, buy the best you can for this.

Pork

I've been working on ways to make the most of a piece of meat; making as many meals as possible and making dinners interesting.
New World has recently had small pork leg roasts for sale at around $21 each and I can make 4 meals from that.
I cut 1/3 off the roast, leaving the skin behind for extra crackling later, and make sweet and sour pork.  If you find a recipe that uses a batter for the pork it makes a bigger meal (with teenagers I'm always looking to extend a meal and make it more filling). I also add bamboo sprouts, water chestnuts and straw mushrooms as they're cheap and add great taste as well as texture to the dish
I then roast the pork the next day with plenty of vegetables and apples, pears or quinces.

Note; rather than having 4 meals of pork in a row, I freeze the pork after cutting a section off for sweet and sour pork. 
 
The third meal is Ramen and the fourth is Apricot and Pork Pizza

Ramen

Serves 5 

 

Ingredients

• Roasted Pork, sliced (one or two slices per person)

Soup

• 6 cups water 
• Pork bone from the roast
• 50g ginger root, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, skinned
• 1 bunch spring onions
• 4 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sake or dry white wine 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 Tbsp Miso paste
• Noodles (I use a thick wholemeal noodle, but use any kind that your family prefers)
• Options; sweet corn (baby corn or kernels), lemon slices, bamboo shoots, choy, carrots

Topping

• boiled egg halves (optional)
• bean sprouts
• green onions, cut finely
• Nori sheets, 1/2 a sheet per person (optional)

Instructions

1. In a pot, put water, ginger root, garlic, green onions and pork bone, and boil at high heat. Skim fat and other floating scums. Then cover, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 10 minute.
2. Prepare the rest of the toppings now as well (boiled eggs, cut green onions)
3. Add the noodles to the soup along with the rest of the soup ingredients, let it simmer at very low heat until noodles are ready. Add the sliced pork just before the noodles are cooked to allow it to heat through.
4.  Immediately divide noodles into bowls. Top with boiled eggs, bean sprouts, green onions. 
5. Crumble nori sheets over the top.

Pot Stickers

Wrappers:

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
¼ gluten free flour
¼ cup gluten
3/4 cup (120 ml) just-boiled water plus more if necessary

Sift the flours into a bowl.
Add the just-boiled water into the flour little by little, stirring with a rubber spatula. You will eventually need to use your hands to form the dough into a ball. If the flour is still separated, add ½ tablespoon of water at a time till you can form the mixture into a ball.
Transfer the dough to the work surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes.
Wrap the ball up ad let it rest for 10 minutes.
Flatten the dough between your hands then with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. 
PASTA MACHINE
With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner.
Flour the pasta between rolls passing the dough through each setting until you get to number 6
Using a large cookie cutter, cut circles of dough.
Set up a wrapping station. Have filling, wrappers, a small bowl of water, and a clean paper towel nearby.

Pot Sticker Dumpling filling:

½ cup wood-ear mushrooms, soaked and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 c finely shredded cabbage
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch of black pepper
2 spring onions, light and dark green part thinly sliced
4 tablespoons coriander, finely chopped

Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, cabbage, ginger and mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, coriander and green onion.

Construction and cooking:

Place a small amount of filling, 2 teaspoons, in the center of the wrapper. Dip your index finger in the water and wet the top edge of the wrapper. Dry fingers on the paper towel. Pleat the edges to crimp closed Place finished dumpling on a plate. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Cooking pot stickers: Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add 25 dumplings (don’t overcrowd the pan) and brown on bottom side, about 4 minutes. Add ¼ c water and reduce heat to medium. Cover pan and let pot stickers cook another 5 minutes. Remove lid from pan and if any water then continue cooking until water has evaporated.

Pot Sticker Dipping Sauce

(this is the child friendly version, you can also add grated ginger, crushed garlic and chilli oil)
1  tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup Soy Sauce
1⁄3 cup rice wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients together well and serve with Pot Stickers

Mexican Street Corn

I've been making barbecued corn with school cooking classes and it's fantastic!  It's easy to do and fun to make with kids.

 

-Sweetcorn in its husk

Pull the outer husks down the ear to the base. Strip away the silk from each ear of corn. Fold husks back into place and tie with a piece of wet string.

Place the corn on the grill, close the cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, or until kernels are tender when pierced with a paring knife. Remove the husks
Serve with the coconut and lime dressing spread over the corn while hot.

Dressing

Coconut and Lime Dressing for Mexican Street Corn

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 can coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander

Mix all ingredients together well and serve on freshly barbecued corn.

Mocha Mousse

Mocha Mousse

Dairy, sugar and gluten free 
serves 4

• 100gm dried dates, soaked in enough hot water to just cover the dates for 30 minutes
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp liquid coffee (fresh or instant)
• 400gm silken tofu, drained

1. Add the dates, cocoa powder and coffee to a food processor ( or use a stick blender) and blend until they have formed a smooth paste.
2. Add the silken tofu to the processor and blend further until the mixture is lump-free and well combined.
3. Spoon into pots and place in the fridge. Refrigerate until set.
4. Serve straight from the fridge.